Method and system for monitoring downhole completion operations

ABSTRACT

A method of sensing matter introduced to a well in a completion operation. The method includes, sensing the introduced matter with at least one transducer, and communicating the sensing of the introduced matter to surface via a wired pipe.

BACKGROUND

Operators in the hydrocarbon recovery industry typically rely on estimations to determine when a particular well completion operation is finished. One example of a well completion operation where estimation is employed is a cementing operation. An operator may estimate a volume of cement needed based upon his best information of the length and annular area that is to be cemented. A poor estimation leading to the pumping of a lesser volume than accurately needed or the pumping of a greater volume than accurately needed tends to be costly and therefore undesirable. An insufficient volume of cement may, for example, cause portions of casings or liners to be inadequately cemented while excess volumes of cement may cause cementing of downhole tools that were never intended to be cemented. Actions to correct the effects of over and under cementing inevitably cause delay and as noted are generally costly. Operators will likely look positively on systems and methods that remove some of the inaccuracies heretofore inherent in the process of completing wells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a method of sensing matter introduced to a well in a completion operation. The method includes, sensing the introduced matter with at least one transducer, and communicating the sensing of the introduced matter to surface via a wired pipe.

Further disclosed herein is a method of monitoring axial or radial displacement of a member during a downhole completion operation. The method includes, sensing axial or radial displacement of the member during the downhole completion operation with the at least one transducer, and communicating the sensing of the axial or the radial displacement to surface via the wired pipe.

Further disclosed herein is a downhole well completion operation monitoring system. The system includes, at least one transducer positionable downhole and configured to sense an effect or event caused by presence of matter introduced to the well during the downhole well completion operation, a wired pipe in operable communication with the at least one transducer, and a monitoring device in operable communication with the at least one transducer via the wired pipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 depicts a partial quarter sectional view of a downhole well completion employing embodiments disclosed herein; and

FIGS. 2A-2D depict a cross sectional view of a well at four levels of completion regarding a cement pumping operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a downhole well completion operation monitoring system 10 disclosed herein is illustrated. The monitoring system 10, among other things includes, a wired pipe 14, a monitoring device 18, shown herein as a computer, and one or more transducer(s) 22, for monitoring a downhole operation associated with completion of the well or initiating actuation of a completion operation. The wired pipe 14 has a wire 26 capable of carrying electrical signals and power therethrough. The wire 26, at a minimum, electrically connects the monitoring device 18 with the transducer(s) 22 to permit at least one-way, and often two-way, electrical communication between the monitoring device 18 and the transducer(s) 22. Such electrical communication allows the monitoring device 18 to monitor downhole completion operations sensed by the transducer(s) 22 as well as to actuate the transducer(s) 22 when desired.

In one embodiment the monitoring system 10, as illustrated, is positioned within a casing 34 of a wellbore 38 in an earth formation 42. The wired pipe 14 includes a setting tool 50, with a liner hanger 58 through which the wire 26 extends. Although the complete routing of the wire 26 is not shown, it electrically connects with each transducer(s) 22. The setting tool 50, when actuated, has two functions, first it sets slips 54 to anchor a liner 56 to the casing 34, and second, it sets a pack-off 60 to seal the annular opening 62 between the casing 34 and the liner hanger 58. The first transducer 22A electrically actuates the setting of the setting tool 50 by such means as a solenoid that is used to open a valve to allow wellbore fluid, under hydrostatic pressure, to enter a chamber containing a piston at atmospheric pressure. The hydrostatic pressure moves the piston against the ambient pressure to actuate the setting tool 50. Alternately, the first transducer 22A could be a pump that pumps fluid to hydraulically actuate the setting tool. The first transducer 22A could be in the form of still other actuating devices while remaining within the scope of embodiments disclosed herein. The first transducer 22A can be configured to actuate both the pack-off 60 and the slips 54 or only one of the two leaving a second transducer 22B to actuate the other of the pack-off 60 and the slips 54 not actuated by the first transducer 22A.

In addition to driving actuation, the first and second transducers 22A and 22B may be configured to monitor the status of the actuation as well. Such monitoring can be of an axial or a radial displacement of the pack-off 60 or slips 54, for example. In this case the transducers 22A, 22B provide feedback to the monitoring device 18. Alternately, an embodiment may incorporate a third transducer 22C to monitor either or both actuations. Regardless of which transducer 22A-22C provides the feedback, the feedback can communicate the level of actuation that has taken place. Such information can be helpful to an operator to prevent over actuation and problems than can result therefrom. For example, an operator may use the feedback to decide when to halt the actuation of a hydraulic pump transducer.

Other transducers can be used to aid in the accurate placement of well tools relative to the formation 42, as well as relative to each other. For example, a proximity transducer 22D installed in a liner hanger 58 could be used to detect an end 66 of the casing 34. Such information would be helpful in accurately positioning the liner hanger 58 in a desired position with respect to the end 66. Similarly, a plug proximity transducer 22E could be used to determine when a pump down plug 70 has reached a specific location within the wired pipe 14, thereby taking some of the guesswork out of the process that is currently employed. Similarly, cement detection transducers 22F and 22G can provide feedback as to when cement being pumped downhole has reached a specific location relative to the wired pipe 14, thereby providing feedback to aid the operator in preventing under pumping and over pumping of cement and the problems associated therewith. The use of transducers 22E, 22F and 22G will be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2A-2D below.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2D, a well 74 undergoing a cementing operation is illustrated. An embodiment disclosed herein includes a liner 80, attached to the lower end of a wired pipe 84. The liner 80 and the wired pipe 84 assembly is lowered into a casing 88 cemented into a wellbore 92 in an earth formation 96. The liner 80 will be cemented to the formation 96 and optionally to the casing 88 to fix it in place and to seal the liner 80 to the formation 96 and to the casing 88. As described above, the proximity transducer 22D can be used to position the liner 80 in a desired position relative to an end 100 of the casing 88. Similarly, the cement detector 22F can detect when cement 104, being pumped downhole, reaches the cement detector 22F. This information can provide an operator with information to accurately calculate the amount of cement 104 that has been pumped thus far. A pump down plug 108 can then be pumped at the end of the cement 104 thereby separating the cement 104 from mud 112 pumped behind the plug 108. The plug proximity transducer 22E positioned near the top of the liner 80 can detect when the plug 108 has reached the top of the liner 80.

In this embodiment, a plug carrier 116, positioned at the top of the liner 80, sealingly receives the plug 108 and is pumped down the liner 80 with the plug 108. The carrier 116 sealingly engages with the inner diameter 120 of the liner 80 that is greater than the inner diameter 124 of the wired pipe 84 through which the plug 108 is pumped from surface. As the plug 108 and carrier 116 are pumped down the liner 80 (FIG. 2C), the cement 104 is pumped down the liner 80 and back up an annular space 128, outside of the liner 80 and inside of the wellbore 92, and into an annular space 132 between the casing 88 and the liner 80 and into an annular space 134 between the casing 88 and the formation 96. One or more cement detector transducers 22G positioned along the liner 80 detect when the cement 104 has reached each transducer 22G providing the operator with precise knowledge as to the location of the pumped cement 104.

One or more carrier proximity transducer(s) 22H positioned near the bottom of the liner 80 can provide accurate feedback as to when the carrier 116 has reached precise positions near the bottom of the liner 80. This knowledge, coupled with the knowledge of how much total cement 104 was pumped can help an operator understand more about the formation 96 and insure a good cement job.

Although the embodiments disclosed herein have the wire 26 within the wired pipes 14, 84, the casing 34 and the liner 80, in alternate embodiments the casing 88 could include the wire 26 therewithin also. In such an embodiment, one or more of the transducer(s) 22 could be placed along the casing 88 to provide feedback or actuations at locations along the casing 88 as opposed to along the wired pipes 14, 84 casing 34 or liner 80.

The monitoring transducers 22C-22H disclosed herein can use a variety of mechanical, chemical and electrical processes in the monitoring that they perform. For example, the transducers may detect a change in at least one of resistivity, gamma, neutron, magnetism, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, acceleration, density and strain. Such a change can be correlated with the presence of one of the end 100, the cement 104, the plug 108 or the carrier 116, for example.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. 

1. A method of sensing matter introduced to a well in a completion operation comprising: sensing the introduced matter with at least one transducer; and communicating the sensing of the introduced matter to surface via a wired pipe.
 2. The method of sensing matter introduced to a well in a completion operation of claim 1, wherein the sensing of the introduced matter includes detecting a presence of the introduced matter.
 3. The method of sensing matter introduced to a well in a completion operation of claim 1, wherein the sensing of the introduced matter includes sensing cement pumped into the well.
 4. The method of sensing matter introduced to a well in a completion operation of claim 1, wherein the sensing of the introduced matter includes sensing a change in at least one of resistivity, gamma, neutron, magnetism, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, acceleration, density and strain.
 5. A method of monitoring axial or radial displacement of a member during a downhole completion operation, comprising: sensing axial or radial displacement of the member during the downhole completion operation with the at least one transducer; and communicating the sensing of the axial or the radial displacement to surface via the wired pipe.
 6. The method of monitoring axial or radial displacement of a member during a downhole completion operation of claim 5, wherein the member is a portion of a setting tool.
 7. The method of monitoring axial or radial displacement of a member during a downhole completion operation of claim 5, wherein the member is one of a slip and a packing element.
 8. The method of monitoring axial or radial displacement of a member during a downhole completion operation of claim 5, wherein the member is one of a plug and a tubular.
 9. A downhole well completion operation monitoring system, comprising: at least one transducer positionable downhole and configured to sense an effect or event caused by presence of matter introduced to the well during the downhole well completion operation; a wired pipe in operable communication with the at least one transducer; and a monitoring device in operable communication with the at least one transducer via the wired pipe.
 10. The downhole well completion operation monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the at least one transducer is configured to sense the presence of at least one of cement, plug and a tubular.
 11. The downhole well completion operation monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the effect sensed is a change in at least one of resistivity, gamma, neutron, magnetism, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, acceleration, density and strain.
 12. The downhole well completion operation monitoring system of claim 9, further comprising at least one transducer in operable communication with the wired pipe configured to at least initiate actuation of a downhole completion operation in response to receipt of an electrical signal via the wired pipe.
 13. The downhole well completion operation monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the at least one transducer configured to at least initiate actuation is one of, a solenoid and an electric motor.
 14. A downhole well completion displacement monitoring system, comprising: at least one transducer, positionable downhole and configured to sense axial or radial displacement of a member during a completion operation; a wired pipe in operable communication with the at least one transducer; and a monitoring device in operable communication with the at least one transducer via the wired pipe.
 15. The downhole well completion displacement monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the at least one transducer is configured to sense axial or radial displacement of at least one of a tubular, a packing element and a slip. 